1
as in curious
interested in what is not one's own business
as we moved into our new home, we could sense that there were prying eyes watching us
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in busy
thrusting oneself where one is not welcome or invited
prying neighbors who refuse to mind their own business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in questioning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pulling
to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever
it took some effort to pry up the trap door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in yanking
to draw out by force or with effort
a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in interfering
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
don't go prying into other people's business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prying
Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Adjective
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying -- and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin, oregonlive, 4 Feb. 2023
But inquiring into the specifics of familial dynamics is impudent and prying — and a line of questioning that most people would be happy to avoid answering themselves.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
The Google Nest Hub (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great smart display with no camera (and therefore no risk of unwanted prying eyes).
—Brenda Stolyar and Medea Giordano, WIRED, 28 Nov. 2022
To my mind, however, there’s a difference between a Google or a Facebook, which provide valuable services in return for their prying eyes, and an app that serves a single, ostensibly benign purpose — parking validation.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2021
Carry two phones While anti-spy software may be effective in staving off the prying eyes of the Chinese government, not everyone knows how to install it.
—Jane Li, Quartz, 6 Aug. 2019
Its purpose: to train librarians to implement secure protocols on their own web services, and to teach members of the community to evade the prying eyes of governments, corporations, and criminal hackers.
—Eoin O'Carroll, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Oct. 2017
One reason Russians have loaded up on passports is that Cypriot citizenship helps them avoid the prying eyes of their government and pay lower taxes.
—Yalman Onaran, Bloomberg.com, 11 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prying
Adjective
-
The block where the pope grew up A flood of pilgrims and other curious visitors began arriving at the little brick house where Pope Leo grew up within hours of the announcement of his election.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
19 May 2025
-
The kinky pic from British first-time feature writer-director Harry Lighton follows the burgeoning odd-couple pairing of the handsome and charismatic Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) and introverted but curious Colin (Harry Melling).—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
New hotels are addressing the long-standing lack of good accommodations, and the harbor is now a busy stop for cruise ships bound for Lisbon and Málaga.—
Christopher Bagley,
Travel + Leisure,
11 May 2025
-
However, the busy year has hit a bit of a lull in early May.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
11 May 2025
Noun
-
Drivers mostly agreed about this line of questioning, too.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
19 May 2025
-
Toward the end of Thursday’s questioning, the defense asked Ventura about the 2016 InterContinental hotel freak-off, where the video of Combs beating Ventura in a hallway came from, and tried to indicate Combs was going through opiate withdrawal at the time, The New York Times reported.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
Known locally for her unusually gentle and inquisitive nature, Sweet Girl was a familiar presence off the coasts of Tahiti and Moorea.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
-
An inquisitive crowd was lined up down the Leonard Street sidewalk, where performers dressed in rose gold dresses welcomed guests into the annual Tribeca Ball.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
During interrogation, detectives kicked the men in their legs and genitals and punched them in the head, according to the lawsuit.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
-
The individual was said to have confessed during interrogation.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 May 2025
Adjective
-
The challenge of using AI in politics lies in harnessing these innovations while ensuring that personalization does not evolve into intrusive surveillance or manipulative targeting.—
Kris Qiu,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
-
Now Pi boards have their tiny bits and bigger pieces soldered at the same time through an intrusive reflow soldering process undertaken with Raspberry Pi's UK manufacturing partner, Sony.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In fact, Trump views the Justice Department as a tool to uplift his political agenda, undoing the dedicated work of dozens of federal agents and prosecutors with his blanket pardon of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists and punishing or firing personnel that had engaged in disfavored inquiries.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2025
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The study examined 75,000 credit inquiries and applications from small to mid-sized companies made on Biz2Credit’s small business finance platform from all across the country for the full prior year (2024).—
Rohit Arora,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2025
Adjective
-
With the nosy strangers finally returning to their budget accommodations with no jacuzzi, Robyn and Dante finally have time to check out how soft the bed is in their bedroom.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 May 2025
-
Another commented: Really just nosy, not even trying to escape.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prying. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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